The approach of Divine Mercy Sunday troubles me. What good is mercy if it is hardly ever available? The quality of mercy is certainly strained by the stinginess by which it is often granted.

As Catholics, we naturally wish for as much mercy as possible to be doled out to all who would seek it. In theory. In practice, we wish to dole as much mercy as can be doled out between the hours of 4:00 and 4:45 pm on Saturdays or by appointment.

Defenders of this woeful practice argue that even during the 45 minutes a week confession is available, not that many people take advantage of it, so why increase the hours?

My 3-year-old daughter is a Batman nut. She kinda’ thinks she is Batman. Not Batgirl, mind you. Batman. Most days, she pretends to be caped crusader leaping from cushion to cushion saving us all from evil of some sort or another. She has an assortment of Batman shirts she wears when she changes out of her Batman pajamas. When we go to the beach she wears her bathing suit and a batman mask. I’ve got pictures. I’m not proud of that you see, I’m just explaining. When I’m forced to peel her Batman shirt off and wash it she stands in the laundry room waiting. Impatiently.

Well, on Good Friday I suggested she wear a dress to church as we were going to pray for an hour. My three-year-old at first...READ MORE

On Easter I can’t help but think about suffering all around the world and its meaning. I could give you my poorly formulated thoughts, but I came across this wonderful interview of Mother Teresa by William F. Buckley on his “Firing Line” show. They spend a great deal of time discussing suffering and I thought it’s definitely worth passing on.

In one great story early in the video, Mother Teresa said she told one cancer patient that pain means Jesus is near to you and that suffering is “an opportunity to share in the passion of Christ.” She said she compared suffering to kisses from Jesus. She said the person replied, “Please tell Jesus to stop kissing me.”

For the past five years, it has been my tradition to watch The Passion of The Christ on Good Friday. The film is exceptionally well done and moves me to tears every time I watch it.

It serves to remind me, in a way that almost nothing else can, how much my Lord suffered for me. For my sins. For my redemption. Oh how He suffered, for me.

My two oldest children are 11 and going on 10 years old. I am seriously considering asking them to try and watch it with me. I want them to understand the last supper, the agony in the garden, and the crucifixion in a way that they never have before.

This film did this for me. It moved me to pity and remorse in a way that I never felt before. It is my...READ MORE

We all know about the War on Christmas. Yawn. If you want to be where the action is, it’s the wackiness that takes place every Holy Week and Easter. Every Holy Week we witness a cavalcade of lunacy and I believe this year we might be “enjoying” the wackiest Holy Week ever. My evidence is as follows:

Time Magazine picks this week to run the headline, “Is Hell Dead?” This is, presumably, a knock off of their infamous “Is God Dead?” cover in the 60’s. Well in another few years I’m sure we’ll be running the headline “Time Magazine IS Dead.” That’ll at least make me feel all warm and schadenfreudey.

James Frey. The charlatan writer is releasing The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, which...READ MORE

If you are lucky, you may have missed the current debate rippling through the Catholic interwebs. Actually, it is a debate that comes up from time time to time, this time it just happens to involve video provocateur Michael Voris.

Voris contributes to the website RealCatholicTv.com. He produces several videos a week talking about issues related to faith, politics, and culture. No big deal, lots of us speak or write about these subjects every day. What makes Voris a hot topic of debate is mostly style and occasionally a little substance.

Having only watched a handful of Voris’ videos, I do not intend to debate the prudence or sagacity of all his remarks. But I do want to talk about...READ MORE

When you think of Donald Trump, if you think of Donald Trump, you think entrepreneur, billionaire, showman, TV personality, and you may even think of weird hair. But when you look at Donald Trump do you really think—President?

This is the question many people are asking after Trump’s media blitz the past few weeks that has thrust him into primary discussions and water-cooler discussions.

So what is Trump up to? What is he after? What is he promoting?

Well, first and foremost Trump is selling Trump. Because Trump is always selling Trump. I believe, and I suspect most other people believe, that Trump has no real interest in running and/or being president if for no other reason that he...READ MORE

Father Michael Pfleger, the bombastic Obama supporting Chicago priest, recently made some very disturbing comments that call into question his willingness to stay in the Church.

You might remember Fr. Pfleger from his outrageous comments about Hillary Clinton:

Fr. Pfleger has also advocated the ordination of women from the altar, had Al Sharpton speak during Mass from the altar while he was running for President, once threatened to “snuff out” a gun shop owner, and flew the American flag upside down outside the Church in protest of street violence.

But recently, according to news reports, Cardinal Francis George asked Fr. Pfleger to accept a new assignment. Fr. Pfleger has insisted...READ MORE

About Pat Archbold

Patrick Archbold is co-founder of Creative Minority Report, a Catholic website that puts a refreshing spin on the intersection of religion, culture, and politics. When not writing, Patrick is director of information technology at a large international logistics company. Patrick, his wife Terri, and their five children reside in Long Island, N.Y.